Cutter/Creaser Brings ‘Accuracy, Quality and Precision’ to Youngstown

By Ashley Roberts

When Christine Perunko saw a Duplo DC-646 slitter/cutter/creaser in action at last year’s In-plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) conference, she knew the device was exactly what her in-plant needed.

Perunko, printing supervisor at Youngstown State University (YSU) in Ohio, remembers being at the IPMA conference and seeing attendees gathered around the device in awe. After speaking with peers who had already installed the DC-646 — and who admitted it might be the best piece of equipment in their shops — Perunko decided to make it official. In July 2017 YSU’s in-plant installed the DC-646, as well as a Duplo DSC-10/60i collator and bookletmaker.

The biggest improvement since the installations, Perunko says, is the time that the new devices save. The in-plant produces 70,000 to 90,000 business cards per year — printed 24-up, 12 sheets at a time — and prior to the new installations, time was wasted waiting for the cards to be cut since student employees couldn’t use the cutter.

Now, the team can turn business cards around in five minutes with help from the DC-646, which is very easy to use, Perunko says. She explains that the student employees are able to run the machine with the push of a button due to the device’s preset capabilities.

For example, sometimes professors traveling out of the country will realize that they are running low on business cards prior to their trip and will arrive at the in-plant needing replacements … quickly. Perunko says that the shop can now print and cut the cards while the customer waits.

Commencement Victory

Not only is the DC-646 fast, she says, it’s reliable. In December 2017, a commencement ceremony required Perunko and her team to produce 4,000 books with a quick turnaround. The DC-646 was used to crease the digital covers and the bookletmaker to complete the collating, stapling and face trim.

“I have no reservations about having any issues,” she says. “Peace of mind is a big part of it.”

And when asked how the new device has helped serve customers better, Perunko doesn’t miss a beat; she gives three solid answers: accuracy, quality and precision.

The new DSC-10/60i has also had a large impact on productivity. It replaces a Duplo collator that was “at least 15 years old,” Perunko says, and tended to jam and pick up double sheets. The upgrade has more air settings, resulting in better feeding, as well as better self-adjustment and continuous-feeding.

In addition to the new bindery equipment, Perunko says a Canon imagePRESS C8000VP was recently installed after the lease ended on another Canon device. With the installation of three devices in such a short period of time, it might seem that Perunko would have faced some resistence justifying the new equipment, but it’s quite the contrary.

“Our management saw the value in our in-plant and backed us to be able to get this equipment,” she confirms.

To continue proving its value and to provide the campus with more information about what services the in-plant can provide, Perunko says that her operation will be holding an on-campus “learning workshop” in March. She explains that it will be an opportunity to showcase the new equipment, as well as explain to customers how jobs are processed and educate them as to the best way to provide job files.